We Bought an RV Because It Promoted a Mindset That We Wouldn’t Quit

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Before I left Austin one of my best friends gave some parting wisdom.

“Heath, I love you man. I just want you to finish something. You have so many great ideas, I just want you to finish something you start.”

He meant it well, and it was supposed to be encouraging. But the truth is it hurt, it really did. It hurt because he was right. 95% of the projects I’ve started are gathering digital dust.

I was scared before Alyssa and I started this trip. I really was. What if we don’t finish? What if nobody reads my blog? What if I get homesick or we run out of money? They were the kind of fears you might have before starting a new job. I approached the fears differently this time. Instead of giving myself room to back out and run away. I leaned in. I made the project bigger.

When we were searching for vehicles, we had two options. One option was to tow a pop up camper behind Alyssa’s car and the other was buying a used motorhome. Both offered benefits. The pop up camper behind Alyssa’s car was an extremely cheap option. The motorhome offered the benefit of a restroom, shower, kitchen, and fridge. It was also more expensive. However, none of those amenities ended up being the deciding factor.

We decided on an RV because we knew it would give us a different mentality when starting the trip. If we were traveling in Alyssa’s car it would be easy to quit when things got rough. Taking her car screamed temporary. Buying a used RV and turning it into our home screamed, “I’m in this for the long haul.”

And we are.

When you walk into situations and opportunities with the mindset to “see it through”, it radically changes everything. When difficulties pop up, you start looking for solutions instead of exit signs.

Last week I overhead an author talking about his internet course. He said that once he started charging for the course, students went from 25% completion to nearly 80% completion. Why? Because they became financially invested in sticking it out. They approached the situation with a mindset of completion instead of, “Well, if it’s interesting I’ll stick around and finish.”

Alyssa and I have days on the road that are harder than others. Sometimes camera equipment doesn’t work, sometimes our RV gives us a little trouble, but at the end of the day I know we’re going to keep going. It’s not a decision we have to make anymore. There’s no other choice than moving forward.

Don’t underestimate the power of starting something with the right mentality. Make bold choices that lock you in for the long term. Sometimes the decisions are as subtle as choosing an RV over a car, but they have the power to push you further than you could ever imagine.

Good luck.

I recently launched a free online course for RVers called How to See America on $2,000/month! It’s everything my wife and I learned about how to live minimalistic while on the road and enjoy every moment. Click here to download your free course!